The “Reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula ” or “Christian Revival ” was an Iberian Christian movement of a military and religious nature, which opposed Christians and Muslims in a secular war for the recovery of territories lost to the Arab conquerors in the Iberian Peninsula, during the 8th century, when the Muslims invaded the peninsula and established a domain that lasted from 711 to 1492.
Historical Context:Summary
Before the Arab invasion, the Iberian Peninsula was inhabited by Germanic peoples who converted to Christianity during the High Middle Ages.
However, after Muhammad's death, Muslims expanded their domains across North Africa, until, in 711, the general of the Islamic Empire, Tarik ibn-Zyiad, crossed the Strait of Gibraltar (named in his honor) and entered the peninsula. , defeating the Christians and expelling the Visigoths to a mountainous region in the north of the peninsula (Asturias), from where the Christian offensive began.
Therefore, in 718, Pelagius, leader of the Visigoths, gathers a group of mountaineers who were refugees in the mountains, beginning the reconquest of the lost territories.
In fact, he won a great victory in 722, at the Battle of Covadonga, and in the year 740, the lands located north of the Douro River were already Christian again. Without surprise, the populations of the reconquered regions passed to the Christian armies, swelling their ranks.
However, it was from the 11th century onwards that the process of reconquest of the peninsula accelerated, since the reconquest of that territory came to be considered a sacred mission.
Thus, with the support of the Crusades movement, the Iberian kingdoms retaken about half of the Muslim territories in a short time, conquering the Caliphate of Cordoba, still in 1031.
Now, through the Crusades, religious and military orders such as the Templars began to fight Muslims, as well as all those Christians who sought indulgences and divine forgiveness.
Consequently, several Christian kingdoms emerged from the Moorish defeats, such as the Condado Portucalense, the Kingdom of Aragon, the Kingdom of Castile, the Kingdom of Navarre and the Kingdom of León.
The earliest was Portugal, which achieved its reconquest in 1147, with the reconquest of the city of Lisbon and in 1187, with the formation of the Condado Portucalense in the northwest of the Peninsula.
The conquest of the city of Faro paved the way for the repopulation of the southern region and consolidated the Burgundian dynasty, which ruled the first European National State until 1383.
In the 15th century, the military campaigns sponsored by the conjugal union of Kings Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabel Castile consolidated the reconquest process, culminating in the complete expulsion of the Muslim invaders in 1492, with the resumption of the Kingdom of Granada and the unification of Spain as a National State. .
Key Features
From the outset, it is worth noting that the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula was motivated by religion and the retaking of rich and prosperous territories. It is worth adding that it was a long process that lasted almost eight centuries, especially in the Spanish territories, where the reconquest took longer than in other regions.
Furthermore, it is worth mentioning the use of military strategies and combat equipment that were used by the Iberian armies.
While the Muslim forces were mainly composed of light infantry, the Christians had a numerous cavalry, made up of the union of royal forces, local nobles, as well as the wealthier commoners who had horses and combat equipment, which were basically , consisting of light armor, armlets, shield and double-edged longswords, javelins and spears.
For auxiliary infantry troops, leather armor, bows and arrows, spears and short swords. From a strategic point of view, the most common action was long-distance attacks by Christian cavalry and infantry on the Moorish forces, until weakening them, when a devastating attack was launched by the cavalry. In the 11th century, new battle tactics were employed by Christians, such as the introduction of heavy cavalry.
In turn, over the course of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the equipment used by the forces of Christendom improved significantly, with soldiers wearing chain mail armor, iron helmets and helmets, leather-and-iron-covered armbands and shields, armed with swords, spear, darts, bow and arrows or crossbow and bolts. Even horses in chain mail were common.
Finally, it is worth noting that Jews and Muslims were politically expelled, but those who accepted the Catholic faith continued to inhabit Portugal and Spain. Furthermore, the Muslim legacy in that region allowed for notable technical and scientific advances, especially the maritime advances that allowed the great navigations.
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